Whether it is the first, second or third (maybe fourth?!) addition to your family, a pregnant woman is never lacking in things she must do to prepare for that little bundle of joy.  There’s all the doctor’s appointments, eating right, drinking enough water, registering, buying endless # of baby clothes and gear, remembering to order the nursery furniture far enough in advance so it arrives before the baby, and I’m fairly certain the list goes on and on and well, on.

It’s funny when looking back on experiences I see things through a totally different set of lenses than I did while actually living it.  For example, that crib I paid to have expedited, because I couldn’t decided until 8 weeks out what I wanted.  I admit I was a rookie and 1st time mom-to-be.  Well, baby girl didn’t sleep in said crib until she was 10 weeks old.  Didn’t REALLY need that ahead of time hehehe.  Hindsight is 20/20, right?

5 things I wish I had done before baby arrived:

1. Freezer Meals – This was something I read on almost every blog.  Make LOTS of freezer meals.  I did manage to get some stuff into the freezer, which was a total lifesaver … however there just wasn’t enough meals to sustain us for very long.  We were fortunate that friends and family brought/cooked us meals, but if we choose to have a second kid I will learn from our experience with Jellybean and pack the freezer with ready-to-go meals!!
2. Hired a Newborn Photographer – This was an EPIC fail on my part.  I started fairly early on researching newborn photographers.  I reached out to a handful of them and then never pulled the trigger.  Recovering from the labor & delivery coupled with the exhaustion of a newborn scheduling photos was low on my to do list and I just never got around to it.  Once I was out of the haze of becoming a mother it was past that ‘sleepy newborn’ stage which is ideal for newborn photos.  If I had hired someone ahead of time I know I would have followed through.  Not doing professional newborn photos is a big regret of mine, but I have so many pictures of Jellybean when she was a newborn I have no choice by to give myself a pass on this one. :)
3. Postpartum Wardrobe – I wrote a whole post about postpartum essentials for mama.  I bought so many things, but didn’t make any real preparations for my postpartum a priority.  Nursing bras, tank tops, loose clothing and ‘in-between’ items could have been purchased prior to Jellybean’s arrival and would have made me a whole lot more comfortable.  I am SO lucky to have family who ran back and forth from the store to get me everything I needed.
4. Take More Maternity Photos –  I’m will admit I didn’t find pregnant Nicole to be the most attractive version of myself.  At about 5-6 months I felt like the belly was cute, but once month 7 rolled around I just felt huge.  And to be totally honest, people had no problem telling me how BIG I was, which made me a bit more self conscious.  I took a few photos of the belly for the blog, but I shy-ed away from being in photos and taking them of myself.  I wish I had a few more picture (especially of the hubby and me), because … heck … I was growing a little human inside me!!!
5. Date Nights – The hubby and I should have done a few more dinners out, maybe caught an extra movie or two and definitely taken an extra vacation before the baby arrived.  After my daughter was a newborn I found it hard to be away from her, even if it was just a few hours (if I’m being honest it’s still hard and she’s 18 months old!!!).  Also, finding someone I trusted to watch her was extremely difficult.

So there are my lessons learned on things I wish I had done prior to baby’s arrival!!  I hope they help you as you are preparing for baby!

What did I miss?